Comic Will Ferrell imitates President George W. Bush on "Saturday Night Live." There was lots of fun-poking but no issues explored, says essayist Jonathan Steiner.

Written by

JONATHAN STEINER
Guest Essayist

Humor can be extremely dangerous. It is dangerous because it is rarely neutral. All too often, it can be used as a rhetorical device to marginalize another.

There is a reason why it is not hard to find ethnic jokes. Polish jokes, Jewish jokes, black jokes and Hispanic jokes were not made to unite social groups; they were made out of outright hatred. Now, there are instances of mutual self-deprecation, as you might see with longtime friends perhaps, but my focus is on the divisive brand of humor. ...